Water heater



Nov. 8, 1932.

J. D. DESMOND WATER HEATER Filed July 25. 1930 21 respectively.

i top of the heater,

Patentedy Nov. 8, 1932 JOHN i). DESMOND, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN WATER HEATER applicati@ med July 2s,

My invention relates to improvements in water heaters. f l

The-'objects of my invention are to obtain j increased efficiency, greater durability and .5 to lower the cost of construction of water heaters of they type commonly referred to as steam generators, boilers, or hot water ycirculators. f

In the drawing: .10 Figure 1 is a front elevation partly in vertical section of a water heater `embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a central, vertical,.long`itudi nal, sectional view of the same.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in horizontal section drawn to line 3-#3 of Figure 2.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views. 1

My improved heater is preferably provided with hollow cast metal sidewalls 10 and a back wall 11, the latter being also preferably formed of cast metal. This back wall is provided with vertically extending flues `12 leading. from the flame chamber 13 to a rear header chamber 14 from which horizontal flues 15 convey the pro-ducts of combustion to a header chamber 16 at the front end of the heater, and fromwhich the stack 17 arises.

The back wall 11 is provided with. a water cavity 18 through which the flues 1 2 extend, and this cavity 18 is in communication at top and bottom with the side wall cavities 19 through tubular connecting nipples 20 and These nipples yalso serve to secure the back wall to the side walls, the nipples extending through the abutting faces of the connected walls. The horizontal flues 15 extend through a water chamber 25 'in the said heater't'op having the form of a low arch or chambered arched cap 26 from the upper portion of. which a service pipe or conduit 27 extends, this conduit having one or more points of .connection with the chamber 25. The conduit `27 leads to radiators or other points for hotwater or steam delivery, and thereturn circuit is indicated at 28 in Figure 1. It leads into one of the side wall cavities 19 whereby the rela- 1930. Serial No. 469,949.

tively'cold water may be returned into cavity 19 near the base thereof.

The lower portions of the cavities 19 are connected near their rear ends by a cross passage 30, this passage being preferably located at the rear end of the ash pit 31.. From this cross passage 30 a series of pipes 32 lead obliquely upwardly and forwardly past the rear end of the grate 33 to a bend or partial elbow 32 from which point the portions 34 of 60 the pipes extend at a lower pitch forwardly through the upper portion of the wall 35 and connect in common with cross passage 36. Passage 36 has its ends connected by suitable tubular nipples 37 through the wall 35 of the 65 heater with the upper portions of the side wall cavities 19. The connecting nipples 37 are substantially like the nipples 20 which connect the rear wall cavity 18 with these wall cavities 19.

Atthe joint, as illustrated atk 40, between the chambered arch 26 and the legs 10, I prefer to weld the parts together. f

The header chamber 14 may be formed by anV outer jacket 42 of fire brick .extending up- 75 wardly along the rear side of the wall 11, and arched in its upper portion to connect at 43 with the top of the arched cap lchamber 26. The space 14 underneath the cap 26 is normally closed at itsrear rend by a damper 46 80 which maybe swung' open as indicated in Figure 2 when fire is being started in the heater thereby providing a more direct draft for re starting purposes. After the fire has been started and the smoke dues warmed this damper 46 may be closed, whereupon the flame, smoke, and products of combustion from the fuel on the grate 33 will be compelled to follow the portions 34 ofthe oblique water circulation pipes upwardly and forwardly around the arch 50. The fire brick jacket 42 retains the hea-t for transferto the water and steam in the arched cap by radiation throughthe horizontal luesand owing to the arch and arcuate arrangement of the iues therein the heated fluid in the cap isr concentrated at the top of the arch.

Arch 50 constitutes what may for convenience be termed an upwardly and forwardly inclined bridge wall about. the upper front ,100

end of which the liame and products of combustion must pass. IVhen the damper 116 is closed these products must pass downwardly along the upper surface of the arch or bridge wall 50 to a cavity 51 in the back wall at the base of the arch from which cavity the flues 12 lead upwardly to therear header 14.

In a furnace constructed as above described, water circulation will be very rapid in its upward flow from thecross passage or header through the portions 32 and 34 of the inclined pipes to the cross passage 36 and thence into the upper portions of the firewall cavities 19. In these cavities and also in the rear wall cavity 18, the hot water tends to rise and as it Hows from the cavity 18 through the nipples 20, it meets and mingles with the water from the side cavities 19 and the hotter portions pass upwardly into the chambered arch 26 where it absorbs additional heat units from the walls of the flue 15. IVater circulation in my improved boiler follows paths as follows: Cold water returned from the heat radiating system enters thc boiler at 28 and is drawn immediately into two distinct currents for rapid circulation, one of which is led into and through the pipes 34 to passage 36, and the other through nipples 21 into the back wall jacket 18. The heated water is then passed into the arch before passing again from the boiler. It will therefore be clear that the combustion chamber and flame chamber are surrounded on three sides and over the top by water chambers, and the walls of the circulating pipes and of the flues 12 and 15 provide large surface areas for heat absorption by the circulating water. In fact the total surface area for heat absorption is unusually large in proportion to the cost of construction and the size of the heater. In other words, my. improved heater has high eliiciency in proportion to the space which it occupies, and also has a high efficiency in proportion to its cost of construction. It will be understood that while I have referred to the arch 50 as partially sub-dividing the interior of the heater into a combustion chamber and a flame chamber, the term flame chamber is used merely for convenience since it is a portion of the combustion chamber, within which there is a down draft in the direction of the channel 51 formed in the back wall at the base of the arch 50.

I claim 1. The combination of a combustion chamber enclosed by a front wall, chambered unitary cast metal side and back walls, and an archedchambered cap, said cast metal walls each constituting a water containing jacket for the sides, back and top of the combustion chamber, respectively, and having abutting surfaces ported for water circulation; a grate Vconstituting the bottom of the combustion chamber and a bridge wall arch extending from below the rear margin of the grate up- `rear wall and forwardly Wardly and forwardly to sub-divide the space between the side walls into combustion and flame chambers; a water passage connecting the side wall chambers at the base of the bridge wall arch, and a series of pipes extending therefrom upwardly and forwardly along the under surface of said arch and having their upper ends in communication with the upper portions of the side wall chambers, said back wall having a transverse open channel in its inner face below its water chamber at the base of the bridge wall arch and having flues extending therefrom vertically through the water receiving cavity, whereby the flame and products of combustion may be directed from the fuel upwardly along the under surface of the arch and downwardly along the upper surface thereof to said rear wall cross channel for delivery n through the jacket cavity in the rear wall 35 from approximately the level of the grate.

2. A water heater having its interior subdivided by a suitable grate and an upwardly and forwardly inclined bridge wall terminating near the front wall of the heater, the @at side and back walls being provided with chambers connected by suitable passages to permit circulation, in combination with a cross passage connectingr the lower portions of the side wall chambers near their rear '95 ends, circulation pipes extending upwardly and forwardly along the under surface of the bridge wall from said cross passage, an upper cross passage connecting the outlet ends of said pipes and communicating with AP the upper portions of the side wall chambers, anarched cap chamber to receive the heated fluid from the side wall chambers and provided with an outlet conduit, smoke passages M leading from the lower portion of the space above the bridge wall upwardly through the through the cap chamber, said arched cap having an end portion underneath its chamber provided with A an opening affording communication with P the smoke passages, and a damper normally closing such opening. Y

3. In a water heater provided with chambered cast metal side walls and a chambered M back wall connected with the rear ends of r"11 the side walls by double nipples extending through their meeting faces and protected thereby from heat radiation into the atmosphere, said nipples affording communicationN between the upper and lower portions of said chambers, in combination with an arched cap covering the side walls, and a jacket covering the upper portion of the back wall, and having an arched extension connecting the top of the back wall with the cap, said back wall and cap being provided with smoke flues in communication with the space underneath said arched extension, and said arched extension being also provided with damper conf trolled means for affording communication '130 from the space between the side walls of the heater with the space underneath said arched extension of the rear wall jacket, said back wall having a transversely extending smoke receiving cavity in its lower portion, one side of which is in communicationwth said back wall lues, whereby the products of combustion may be normally delivered through said flues or by-passed chamber into the said arched extension when starting or accelerating combustion. y

4. In a water heater, the combination of a combustion chamber and Val flame chamber partially sub-divided by an upwardly and forwardly extending bridge wall arch and having chambered side walls, cross passages connecting the lower rear portions andtheupper front portions of the side Wall chamber, a set of upwardly and forwardly extendin pipes underneath the bridge wall arch an connecting the cross passages, a back wall provided withy an open channel at the base of said arch, said back wall having a water chamber above said channel and vertical flues extending from the channel through the water chamber, a chambered cap provided with horizontal iues, and a connecting chamber between the back wall and cap in communication with the vertical and horizontal lues, whereby the products of combustion are directed upwardly and forwardly along the lower surface of said arch and the associated pipes, and then downwardly along the upper surface thereof to the lower portion of the back wall and the lower ends of the back wall ilues and thence through both sets of flues.

JOHN D. DESMOND.

fromthe combustion 

